A Russian helicopter pilot who defected to Ukraine in his Mi-8 helicopter says he does not want to continue taking part in the “massacre of the Ukrainian people” – and is calling on his former colleagues to follow his example.
“It’s a shame what happened here,” Maksim Kuzminov, 28, told the TV documentary, “Down Russian Pilots,” which aired in Ukraine Sunday.
“Murder, tears, blood. People just kill each other.
“That’s all I can do and I don’t want to be a part of it,” he said while wearing a T-shirt with the Ukrainian coat of arms.
“If you do what I did, this kind of thing, you won’t regret it at all,” Kuzminov told his fellow Russians who defected to avoid aiding the continuing brutal war.
Kuzminov said when he finally landed his helicopter at an airport in Kharkiv region on August 23, it ended a six-month multi-agency special operation.
“I contacted the Ukrainian intelligence representative, explained my situation,” he told the documentary.
Maksim Kuzminov, 28, was interviewed about his defection for a documentary that aired in Ukraine on Sunday. Ukrainska Pravda
“To which they offer this option: ‘Come on, we guarantee your safety, guarantee new documents, guarantee financial compensation, rewards,'” he said.
Before his final escape, Kuzminov’s family was also smuggled out of Russia by operatives from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence and State Police, the documentary said.
Then, Kuzminov realized during a recent flight that he was near the border with Ukraine — and decided to run for it.
“I relayed my location. I said: ‘Let’s try, I’m not far,'” he said of the message to his operator.
Kuzminov handed over his Mi-8 helicopter to Ukraine after landing at an airport in Kharkiv region. AFP via Getty Images
“After making the final decision, I flew at a very low altitude in radio silent mode,” the pilot said.
“No one understood what was happening to me at all….I flew across [into Ukraine]landed, they met me, and explained everything to me.”
The other two helicopter crew members he was with were not involved in his secret defection plan — and “decided not to surrender and died shortly after landing,” Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said.
The twin-turbine helicopter is said to be operational and may be used by the Ukrainian military, which also claims the pilot was carrying “valuable documents” and “secret technical equipment.”
Kuzminov wore a T-shirt with the coat of arms of Ukraine as he said he did not want to take part in the “massacre” of Russia. Ukrainian Pravda
Condemning the “massacre of the Ukrainian people,” Kuzminov expressed confidence that the country “will definitely win” the war because its people are united.
“When Ukraine wins it’s just a matter of time,” he added.
The pilot also urged his former comrades in the Russian army to follow in his footsteps.
“You will be provided for the rest of your life with everything,” he said, speaking to his troops in his homeland.
“You will be offered work anywhere, whatever you want to do. You will just discover the world of color for yourself.”
Ukrainian Defense Intelligence said that a defected pilot and his family “are in Ukraine and making plans for the future,” without identifying Kuzminov by name.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
